Method of and apparatus for removing water or oil from bottoms of gas-wells



(No Model.) l

R. H. STALBY. l A MBTHD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING WATER 0R OIL FROM BOTTOMS 0F GAS WELLS.'

Patented 001;. so, 1894.

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W/TNESSES:

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UNITED STATE-s AflI.n-*rinvr FFIC.

'RALEIGH II. STALEY, OF SHERIDAN, INDIANA.

METHOD OF ANDAPPARATUS FOR BEMOVING WATER OR OILFROM BOTTOMS OF GAS-WELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of' Letters' Patent No. 523,449, dated october so, 1894.

Application iled February 23,1 894. Serial No. 501,186. '(No model.) I i To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALEIGH H. STALEY, of Sheridan,in thecounty of Hamilton and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Removing Water and Oil from the Bottoms of Gas-Wells, of which the following specification is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part thereof, in which the gure shows my improved apparatus applied to gas-wells. The object of my invention is to prevent the accumulation of iiuids such as water and oil in the bottom of a natural gas well where such iuids rise and cutoff the supply of gas to the gas pipe and by my improved method and apparatus the water or oil is caused to flow continuously from the bottom of the well automatically and without the assistance of pump piston and entirely by the pressure of the gas itself upon the water or oil tirst in the bottom of the well to raise it in the water outlet pipe and then again just below the surface of the raised column to again exert its influence to finish the process of raising and thus cause the Water or oil to flow continuously from the top of the well.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the method and apparatus hereinafter described and claimed.

My method is as follows: I confine the gas in the well so that it will raise the water or oil up in the pipe provided for its outow and which is open at its upper end and then 'I return and discharge a jet of the gas from the upper end of the gas pipe through a contracted or smaller pipe into the upper end of the raised column of water or oil just below the surface thereof and thereby cause a continuous liowvof said liquid at the top of the well and as a further. step I separate any gas that may have risen through the said fluid outlet pipe and conduct it'to any suitable place of storage or use.

The apparatus is constructed as follows: A is the usual drive pipe, and Bis the well/tube or casing which lines the well and prevents the inflow of surface water above the packer.

C is the gas tube which extends to the bot- 5o tom: ofthe well and is there provided with a foraminated cage or strainer C while at its upper end the said tube is provided with a cap C2l having lateral branches C3 and a central stuffing box or gland C4.

Dis the packer which closes the annular space between the casing B and the gas tube C just above where the gas enters said tube and thus prevents entrance of atmospheric air into the gas.

' The outlets C3 C3 may be provided with the usual valves if desired. E is the water or oil outlet pipe which extends down through the gland C4, to the bottom of the Well and its lower end is foraminated as at E to admit the liquid to be removed from the bottom of the well. The upper end of the water or oil tube Eis provided with a lateral branch E2 which terminatesin a downwardly extending liquid outlet E5 and an upwardly extending gas outlet E4. Y

The outlet Es discharges into any suitable off-take and the outlet E4 may be connected with a heater or low pressure line for further use.

F isl a gas pipe of small diameter which is connected with the interior of one branch C3 of the gas pipe C and then extends upwardly, laterally and downwardly through a gland or packing in the upper end of the tube E and has a sliding section F within said tube E said sliding section F having its lower end upturned and provided with a nozzle F2. This sliding joint or section F rises and falls with the column of water the height of which will vary with the pressure of gas from below. This sliding section F will be raised and lowered by the pressure of thev gas in the pipe C through the medium of the piston G working in the cylinder G which is supplied'with gas from the branch pipel C3 through pipe' g. The piston rod is connected at its upper end by means of a link g' with a vertically rocking toothed segment H, the toothed edge of `which meshes with a pinion I on the shaft I of the drum I2 over which passes a wire rope J leading down through a gland e in the gas tube E and secured to sliding pipe F by a clip f. The other end of the rope J extends past a guide pulley J and is provided' with a weight J2 to counterbalance the sliding pipe F. The weight J 2 works in the space between tubes B C. A yoke G2 extends from the upper end of cylinder G and has a threaded tube G3 on which is mounted a nut G4 to regulate the tension of the spring G5 on the piston rod between the nut and piston.

The object of the small gas pipe F is to remove the water which would accumulate in the well above a certain amount and thus leave a column of water in the water pipe to seal it against the entrance of atmospheric air to the gas.

It will be seen that the pressure of the gas in the bottom of the well will cause the water or other liquid accumulating therein to be forced up into water outlet pipe E until the pressure and weight about balance and then thenozzle end F of the pipe F will be just below the surface of the upper end of the column. The gas passing out of the nozzle will cause a steady upward flow of water or oil as the case may be through pipe E, the water or oil discharging through outlet E3 and the small quantity of gas through outlet E4. Hence there is no waste of gas whatever. I have found that it is entirely unnecessary to blow off the well when provided with my apparatus.

The height of the water in the pipe E varies according to the pressure of the gas and hence the raising and lowering of the pipe F must be automatic and this I accomplish by the piston and pulley mechanism previously described. A very slight movement of the piston will cause considerable movement of pipe F owing to the relative size of the segmental lever and the pinion. When the pressure of gas decreases and the water in pipeA E lowers then the spring G5 will cause piston G to descend and slightly raise toothed end of lever I-I thereby rotating the pinion in the directionI of the arrow a thus lowering the pipe section u. If the pressure of gasincreases the water rises in pipe E and the increase of pressure in cylinder G moves piston G outwardly against action of the spring and the pipe F' through the intervening mechanism is correspondingly raised.

I claim the right to extend the water pipe down along the exterior as well as the interior of the gas pipe.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim is 4 1. The herein described self regulating method of removing water or oil from the bottoms of natural gas Wells which consists in sealing the gas in the bottom of the well, to cause it to raise the accumulated liquid in the outlet pipe and thus seal said pipe, and finally discharging a jet of gas upwardly into the water or oil just belowits upper level by means of a connection with the upper end of the column or body of gas and automatically maintaining said jet in the same relation to the column of water according to its rise and fall; whereby the water seal is maintained and the overplus is caused to flow off continuously substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the gas well casing and the gas pipe havlnga suitable offtake at its closed upper end and provided at its lower inlet end above the gas bearing rock with a packer, of the water pipe extending down along the gas pipe to the bottom of the well communicating with the gas pipe below the packer and having at its upper end an unobstructed outlet, and a small gas pipe extending from the upper end of the main gas pipe down into the water pipe to a point just below that reached by the upper surface ot' the column of water and there provided with an upwardly extending nozzle and means for maintaining the nozzle in its relative position to the column of water as the latter rises and falls substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the gas and water pipes, of the smaller gas pipe extending down into the water pipe just below the point reached by the upper surface of the column of water and there provided with an upwardly discharging nozzle, and means for automatically maintaining the nozzle at the same distance under water when the latter rises and falls, substantially as set forth.

4c. The combination with the gas and water pipes of the smaller gas pipe connected with the main gas pipe and having a sliding section within the water pipe provided with an upwardly discharging nozzle, of a piston operated by the gas in the main gas pipe and intermediate mechanism connectingsaid piston with the said sliding section to automatically preserve the relation between its nozzle and the column of Water as the gas pressure varies substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the gas and water pipes of the smaller gas pipe connected with the main gas pipe and having a counterbalanced sliding section within the Water pipe and provided with an upwardly discharging nozzle, a piston operated by the gas in said main pipe and connections between said piston and sliding section substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the gas and water pipes of the smaller gas pipe having a vertically sliding section in the water pipe and provided with an upwardly discharging nozzle, a weighted rope extending from said sliding section, a drum over which the rope passes, a pinion for operating the drum, atoothed segment meshing with said pinion, a spring pressed piston having a piston rod connected with said segment, and a gas pipe delivering gas from the main gas pipe to the cylinder in which said piston works substantially as set forth.

IIO

7. The combination with the gas and water for automatically maintaining such relation pipes the latter having at its upper end an substantially as set forth. upwardly extending gas outletand a down- Y .wardly extending water outlet, of the small RALEIGH H' STALEY' 5 gas pipe having a jet discharging upwardly Witnesses: into the water pipe just below the level D. J. MGMATH,

reached by the column of water and means ALLEN A. STAHL. 

